


How It Could Have Gone

by rubychan05



Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-08-27
Updated: 2007-08-27
Packaged: 2018-03-08 00:12:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3188498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rubychan05/pseuds/rubychan05
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>How it could have gone in an alternate universe. </p><p>Written for the prompt: 'the train has already gone, would you like to hire a bicycle?'</p>
            </blockquote>





	How It Could Have Gone

He finds Jack in a prison camp, somewhere just outside Berlin in 1942.

He’s been deemed to be too dangerous to keep with the other soldiers and has been isolated, shut up in a poky little cell that’s barely big enough to house the old bed he’s been issued with. He doesn’t seem to recognise the Doctor at first, apparently thinks he’s associated with the Germans from the crude names he’s yelling so defiantly through the barred window in the door.

The Doctor tells him to be quiet, and quickly goes about unlocking the door with his Sonic Screwdriver. Jack falls silent, blue eyes riveted on the familiar device. When the door swings open Jack doesn’t move and the Doctor sighs impatiently before grabbing his old friend’s arm, trying to pull him out.

Jack still doesn’t budge.

“I’m not going anywhere with you.”

The words are hissed, full of hatred, and the Doctor closes his eyes in pain. He’s been an idiot, and he knows he deserves Jack’s anger, but that doesn’t stop it hurting. He didn’t know Jack was going to have such a terrible life; he honestly thought that Jack would be happy here, sleeping his way through the entire population of Earth and saving the universe one day at a time.  
Not this. Never this.

“You haven’t got much of a choice. Stay here and when the guards find your door unlocked they’ll execute you for trying to escape. And then take you away for experiments when they realise you can’t die.”

The words, although harsh, get through to Jack, and the other man follows him down winding corridors to where the TARDIS is parked, entering with only a moment’s hesitation. They leave, dematerialising to leave no sign that they were ever there, and the Doctor can’t believe it was this easy.

He doesn’t realise the hardest bit is to come.

“You abandoned me.”

The Doctor swallows, turning to meet Jack’s burning gaze. His insides twist at the intensity of Jack’s eyes, and he has to fight in order not to turn away.

“I know. I’m sorry. But I’m here now aren’t I?”

It doesn’t help. Jack’s eyes are still hard, his voice still brusque as he looks around the TARDIS.

“Where’s Rose?”

The Doctor flinches. It’s been six months, and that question shouldn’t still hurt but it does, and he can’t do anything about it. He can see the look of dawning horror in Jack’s face as the man takes in his expression and knows the other must think Rose is dead. He hastens to explain before Jack can grieve too much.

“She’s trapped in a parallel world. Mickey and her mum are there too.”

There’s relief in Jack’s eyes, but there’s anger too, hot and rash. The immortal chuckles bitterly, folding his arms and leaning back against the console, his body language screaming hostility.

“Now I know why you came back for me, at least. You needed a replacement for her.”

The words, when said plainly like that, shock the Doctor. He hadn’t meant that to be the reason, but now he realises that it was. He’d had enough of travelling alone, grieving for Rose, and he’d instinctively turned towards the only person left who would be able to understand that pain and perhaps help heal it.

He’d been going to use Jack again.

“Jack…”

“No Doctor, I get it. It’s the same as that old saying - 'the train has gone, would you like to hire a bicycle?'. Rose is gone, and all you have left is the old rusty bike someone once tried to fob you off with.” Jack snarls.

“I honestly didn’t mean it like that, Jack. I thought I was just coming back to find you.” The Doctor pleads. Jack just glares, and the Doctor sighs, pressing a few buttons and making the TARDIS chirp.

“I can drop you off somewhere, then. Where do you want me to take you?”

“21st century Cardiff.”

The Doctor does a double take, sure he must have misheard. But Jack’s face is determined, and the Doctor bemusedly sets the coordinates. 

“Any reason why?”

“Because you’ll need to go there to refuel.”

Jack’s answer throws him, and he blinks up at his old friend.

“I’m sorry?”

“One day I’ll have got past this, Doctor. And one day I’ll be ready to travel with you again. So until then, just refuel in 21st century Cardiff whenever you need to, ok?”

For the first time Jack smiles, and although it’s brittle and almost painful to see the Doctor’s hearts still skip a few beats.

He drops Jack off, and goes travelling round the universe again, hoping that he won’t be alone forever. The first few times he lands in Cardiff nothing happens.

The fourth time he refuels Jack is waiting there, hands in his pockets and a grin on his face as though he’s never been away.

**Author's Note:**

> Written by 17-year-old me. So please judge lightly.
> 
> Find me on Tumblr under [rubychan05](http://rubychan05.tumblr.com/). I'm a mix of mainly Les Miserables, Musketeers, Sherlock, Doctor Who and Teen Wolf at the moment, though obviously these things change!


End file.
